Fire extinguisher



June 21, 1927. E. BURNS 1,633,312

FIRE EXTINGUI SHER Filed Feb. 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q 1,633,312 June 1927- E. L. BURNS FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Feb. 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llll lllllmm 31 1 25 l Patented June 21, 11327.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

EDWARD L. BURNS, 01 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY KESNE ASSIGN- HENTS, 1'10 8. D. WILLZFAMS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FIRE EXTINGUISHEB.

Application fled February 85, 1926. Serial No. 90,498.

My invention relates to a fire extinguisher of the portable or hand operated type, a nd has for its principal objects, the provision of a relatively simple, practical and easily operated apparatus that may be readlly Inanipulated for effecting a discharge of fire quenchin liquid; to provide relatively simple valvu ar means for controlllng the discharge of liquid from the tank or container of the apparatus, which valvular means is effective in maintaining the chamber within the tank or container in absolutely airtight condition, so as to effectually prevent corrosion Withinthe tank or container and likewise prevent deterioration of the fire extinguishmg liquid; to provide simple and easily operated means for releasing the valvular means that control the discharge of liquid from the apparatus; further, to arrange on the interior of the tank or container, supporting means for a series of capsules or cartridges that contain a highly expansible gas under pressure, which gas, when released, functions as the pressure creating agent to bring about a discharge of the fire quenching liquid from the tank or container; and further, to provide simple and conveniently operated means for puncturing the gas containing capsules or car tridges so as to release the compressed gases therefrom.

Further objects of my invention are, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of portable hand operated fire extinguishers and to provide a fire extinguisher of the character referred to wherein the discharge valve, the valve operating means, the gas containing capsules and the capsule puncturing mechanism are all carried by a head that is removably seated in one end of the tank or container, thus enabling all of the parts just mentioned to be readily assembled and applied to the tank or container, or to be removed therefrom, after the capsules have been punctured and the tank emptied of the contents.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on a medial plane through a fire extinguisher constructed in accordance with my ,invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. a

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vrtical section taken on a medial line through a modified form of my improved fire extinguisher.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention, 10 designates a tank or hollow cylindrical container of either cast or pressed sheet metal of any desired size and the lower end thereof being permanently closed by a head or cap 11.

Screw-seated on the upper end of the tank is a head 12 through the center of which is formed an axially disposed aperture 13 that serves as a bearing for a short shaft 14 and secured to the upper end of the latter is a hand wheel 15. A suitable gland or stufling box 16 is arranged on top of the head 12 for shaft 14 in order to prevent the escape of fluid pressure outwardly through the bearing aperture 13.

Formed on shaft 14 is a quick acting thread 17 that cooperates with a corresponding thread 18 that is formed in the lower portion of aperture 13, and leading from a chambered portion of aperture 13 just below thread 18 outward through the body of head 12 is a duct 19. Seated in the edge of head 12 at the outer end of this duct is an elbow fitting 20 to which is secured one end of a short flexible tube 21, preferably composed of metal or a combination of metal and rubber, and the free end of which carries a jet nozzle 22.

Detachabl secured to the underside of head 12 an de ending therefrom is a centrally arranged valve housing 23 within which is arranged a ring 24 referably of Babbitt metal and which provi es a seat for a valve 25 that is carried by the lower portion of shaft 14. Detachably secured to and depending from the lower portion of the valve housing 23 is a tube 26, preferably of metal, the lower end of which is open and detachably secured to the lower end of shaft 14 and extending downwardly through this tube 26 is a rod 27, the lower end of which carries a plate 28. This plate normally occupies a position adjacent to the head or cap 11 that closes the lower end of the tank or container 10.

Screw-seated in head 12 are plugs 29, the lower portions 30 of which are shghtly reduced in diameter and threaded in order to receive the threaded upper ends of tubes 31 and which latter function as holders or carriers for compressed gaseous capsules 0.

These capsules or cartridges contain corn-.

and one end of each capsule is plug of relatively soft metal that is capable of being readily punctured by a;

pressed gas closed by a pointed member.

The lower end of each tube 31 is provided with longitudinally disposed slots such tank or container is filled with a suitable! ted lower ends of the tubes 31. The valve carrying shaft 14 is rotated by manipulation of handle 15 so that said shaft is moved downward through head 12 until valve 25 rests on seat 24:. The head 12 and parts car-. ried thereby are now applied to the filled container 10 and when said head has been tightly screw seated on the upper end of the body, of the container, the extinguisher is ready for use.

Inasmuch as valve 25 closes the outlet through the head 12 and the latter is tightly screwed onto the container 10, it will be impossible for air, moisture, or gases to enter the container and thereby set up corrosion of the metal parts of the apparatus or deterioration of the liquid contents of the tank. Thus the apparatus will be retained in condition for use for an indefinite period. To use the apparatus it is only necessary jfor' the operator to manually engage hand ',wheel 15 and rotate same so as to rotate shaft 14 and the engagement of the quick 14 to move upwardly through head 12 thus as 32 thereby fo ng between Saidlifting Valve 25 from its seat and causing a series of resilient fingers 33 that yield;

and hold an mserted capsule: ifends of the capsules C. As said capsules C ingly engage Seated in each tube just above the slotted lower end thereof is a disk 3 1- and depending from the central portion thereof is a pin or prong 35 that is designed to puncture the plugged end of the capsule when the latter is moved upward within the slotted lower end of the tube.

Formed through the walls of the depending tubular members 31 between the upper ends of the slots 32 and the base portions of the prongs 35 are .apertures 32 through which the gas escapes after it discharges from the punctured capsules.

In order that the capsules may be punctured in succession, said capsules .are seated in the slotted lower ends of the tubes so that their lower ends occupy diiferent elevations relative to the upper surface of plate 28. Consequently, as said plate is raised, the capsules will be successively engaged and moved upward until the respective prongs 35 puncture the upper endsof said capsules to release the compressed gases.

Seated in the upper portion of the wall of tank 10 is a tubular plug 36 that carries a disk 37 of special metal and which will be fractured and blow out in the event that an abnormal degree of pressure is-developed within the tank. Thus the plug 36 functions as a safety device for the extinguisher while the same is in service.

gacting threads 17 and 18 will cause the shaft plate 28 to successively engage the lower :are moved upwardly between the respective -sets of resilient fingers 33, the plugged upthrough tube 26, valve housing 23, duct 19,

flexible. tube 21 and jet nozzle 22, which latter, it will be understood, is manipulated by the operator so as to direct the fire quenching liquid against the fire.

I have equipped the apparatus with a plurality of the gas containing capsules C and their puncturing devices in order that a sufficient amount of potential pressure may be carried in each apparatus to effect a dis charge of all of the liquid contents of the container and to insure/the carrying of the jet of liquid-a suflicient distance away from the apparatus and thus materially increase the eifectiveness of the extinguisher.

The capsules may contain various expansible gases, but I have in actual tests and experiments obtained highly satisfactory results with capsules that are filled with CO,

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the capsule supporting tubes 31 are located at points within the container that are equi-distant apart and while this arrangement is convenient and practical, it may be in some instances found deslrable to arrange said capsule carrylng tubes in a series immediately adjacent to each other as illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive, and where such construction is carried out, all of the tubes are directly connected to an arcuate plug or plate 40 that is seated in ,the head 12 and retained in such position by a nut or screw plug 41.

Among the advantages and highly desirable features of my invention the following are dominant viz, the construction and arrangement whereby an absolutely airtight container is provided, the mounting of all the operable parts of the extinguisher upon the closure head, thereby facilitating assembly insertion, removal, inspection, repairs and replacements, the construction whereby a single manually operable member is effective in releasing the fluid discharge valve and the actuation of the puncturing mechanism, the operation of the latter being brought about sequentially, in order to produce the desired expellant pressure, and finally the general simplicity and compactness of the entire structure, combined with minimum production costs.

' It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved fire extinguishermay be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fire extinguisher, a tank adapted to contain liquid, a closure head for said tank, said closure head being provided with an outlet duct, a plurality of members connected to and depending from the closure head, gaseous pressure containers carried by the lower portions of said depending members, a puncturing member carried by each depending member, a rod extending through and having threaded engagement with the closure head, a valve carried by said rod for normally closing the outlet duet in the head and means carried by said rod for effecting an engagement between the gaseous pressure containers and the puncturing means.

2. In a fire extinguisher, a tank adapted to contain fire extinguishing liquid, a closure head for said tank, said closure head having an outlet duct, a plurality of tubular members connected to and depending from the closure head, the lower end of each tubular member being slotted to form a seriesof resilient fingers, a gaseous pressure container seated in the slotted lower ortion of each tubular member, a downward y projecting puncturing member arranged in each tubular member above thecontainer carried thereby, a rod extending through and having threaded engagement with the closure head, a valve carried by said rod for normally closing the outlet duct in the head and capsule engaging means carried by the lower portion of said rod and adapted, when the latter is moved upward, to move the gaseous pressure containers against the puncturing means.

3. In a fire extinguisher, a tank adapted to contain fire extinguishin liquid, a closure head for said tank, said 0 osure head having an outlet duct, a plurality of tubular members connected to and depending from the closure head, the lower end of each tubular member being slotted to form a series of resilient fingers, a gaseous pressure container seated in the slotted lower portion of each tubular member, a downwardly projecting puncturing member arranged in each tubular member above the container carried thereby, a rod extending through and having threaded engagement with the closure head, a valve carried by said rod for normally closing the outlet duct in the head, capsule engaging means carried by the lower portion of said rod and adapted, when the latter is moved upward, to move the gaseous pressure -containers against the puncturing means there being gaseous pressure outlet apertures formed in the lower portions of the tubular members between the slotted lower ends thereof and the puncturing means.

4. In 'a fire extinguisher, a tank adapted to contain fire extinguishing liquid, a closure head for said tank, said closure head having an outlet duct, a plurality of tubular members removably seated in the head and depending into the lower portion of the tank, the lower ends of which tubular members are slotted to form resilient fingers, gaseous pressure containers removably seated in the slotted lower portions of said tubular members, the lower ends of which gaseous pressure containers occupy different elevations, downwardly presented puncturing members arranged in the tubular members above the gaseous pressure containers, a rod extending through and having threaded engagement with the closure head, a valve carried by said rod for normally closing the outlet duct in the head and a capsule engaging member carried by the lower portion of said rodand adapted, when the latter is moved upward, to successively engage the lower portions of the gaseous pressure containers and move the same upward into engagement with the puncturing members.

5. In a fire extinguisher, a ta-nk'adapted ill to contain fire extinglgxishing liquid, a closure head for said tan a lurahty of plugs removably seated in said 0 osure head, a tubular member carried by each plug and extending downward into the tank, a gaseous pressure container removably positioned in the lower end of each tubular member, a puncturin member seated in each tubular member a ove the gaseous pressure eontainer, there being gaseous pressure outlet closure head and operable from the exterior of the tank for effecting an engagement between the gaseous pressure containers and. the puncturlng means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD L. BURNS. 

